Staying in Touch
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Rachel's nervous about visiting Quinn and she doesn't know why. Pre-Faberry one-shot.


_**LbN: I've been listening to Roots Before Branches on repeat since I saw the finale. Seriously. It's still on. So expect a ton of updates this weekend. :) Happy reading!**_

"Santana!"

"Look, Berry, I agreed to be your roommate and we're homegirls and all, but this vegan snacks only thing is out."

"Santana, could you at least knock?"

"Why? You're fully clothed this time…. Oh god, are you having Skype sex with Hudson?"

"Guess again!" came a voice from the computer.

"Quinn!" Santana yelped, jumping on the bed next to Rachel. "What's up girl?"

"Trying to talk Rachel into using her graduation gift."

"Please go see her," Santana said. "If I have to watch you two making googly eyes at each other over Skype one more time, heads are going to roll."

"May I remind you that you invaded the privacy of my room this time," Rachel said.

"Because all of our chips taste like cardboard," Santana whined.

"I will buy regular Pringles for you if you let me finish my conversation with Quinn."

"Deal. Peace out, Q!"

Rachel turned back to the screen after Santana left. Quinn was laughing. "I'm glad you find it amusing."

"I don't know how you two haven't killed each other yet."

"We give each other lots of space."

"So…will I see you Friday?"

Rachel smiled. "Of course." She laughed as Quinn squeaked and bounced in her chair.

"Yay! I'll meet you at the station. I'm done with classes at two."

"Great! I'll probably be able to get there by four."

"I can't wait to see you," Quinn said, smiling.

Oh god, it was the smile. The Quinn smile. Rachel smiled back, trying not to turn into a huge dork. "I know. It's your turn next time, though. Santana said something about wanting to take you to a titty bar, but I think she was kidding."

"I'm sure she wasn't."

"I wasn't!" they heard from the other room.

Both girls laughed.

"Okay…so, text me when you get on the train?"

"I will. Miss you, Quinn."

"I miss you too. See you Friday!"

Rachel waved and ended the call. She wandered into the living room where Santana was watching The Departed. The other girl patted the seat next to her and she went over to sit down.

"Please tell me you're going," Santana said, offering Rachel the popcorn.

"Yes. Did you put butter on this?"

"No. Jesus, Berry Kix, that was one time. So…talk to Auntie Snix…."

"Sweet Moses, no. I thought Snix only made an appearance once a month."

"She comes back when she has to. Anyway, what's going on with you and Q?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you two Skype every day…And you've been all nervous about going to visit her. What's with that?"

"It just…feels different. It's not just turning up at school and seeing her anymore. I mean, I haven't even been to see Finn yet."

"Okay, first, Finn's getting his ass handed to him by an ugly, repressed-gay drill sergeant in Georgia. Second, Finn didn't spend upwards of 800 dollars so you could see him whenever you wanted."

"To be fair, it would've cost a shit ton more."

"Did Miss Berry just swear?" Santana asked, grinning.

"Well, I am speaking to Auntie Snix right now….She's had a bad influence on my normally family friendly vocabulary."

"You're not going to have a panic attack on Friday, are you?"

"No. Why on earth would I have a panic attack?"

"Please, Fruits and Berries—"

"Okay, how many puns centered around my last name do you have?"

"I could go all night."

"Trust me, I know. I had to listen when Brittany came to visit last month."

"And you just made a dirty joke! My little Blueberry Muffin is growing up!"

"FOR GOD'S SAKE SANTANA!"

The older girl just laughed. "Seriously though…I've caught you staring at that Metro North pass at least seven times. What's the big deal?"

"I just…I don't know," Rachel admitted.

Santana stared at her for a minute, and then smiled. "Whatever. Just tell Quinn it's her turn next week. Mom's coming to see me, and she wants to take us out to dinner."

* * *

Rachel had told Santana that she wasn't going to panic, but she was definitely panicking now. What the hell was wrong with her? It was just a two hour train ride to see Quinn. "Get it together Berry Punch," she thought. Scarier than the fact that she'd thought about Santana's favorite nickname for her was the fact that she'd thought it in the other girl's voice. She shook her head to clear it and put in her earphones.

The ride was quick, mostly because Quinn started playing Words with Friends with her about 30 minutes in, and Rachel was hell bent on beating the blonde's score. When the train pulled into New Haven, she tried to spot Quinn. Then she rolled her eyes at herself…it wasn't like they were going to let her on the platform.

The terminal was pretty crowded, but she made her way to the front of the station without running into anything or anyone. That was more than she could say for her first time in Grand Central….

"Rachel!"

She turned and saw Quinn standing on a bench a few feet away. She abandons every ounce of "cool New Yorker" pretense that she's gained over the last few months, squeals, and runs over to her. "I've missed you so much!"

Quinn hugs her and hands her a flower. It's a gardenia. "I've missed you too."

"Wait…"

"Do you seriously think I didn't know it was you who picked out my corsage that year?" Quinn asked, smirking. "Now let's get going. We have a party to hit tonight."

"A party?" Rachel asks as they walk. She feels herself calming as Quinn talks.

"Yep! I know you're all about songs and dance at NYADA, so I figured I'd take you to a frat party. Give you a bit of the usual college experience. Don't worry, though… we'll go early, and no drinking. I just want to introduce you to some of my friends."

"Okay," Rachel said, smiling brightly. "So long as you don't plan on getting me hammered." Rachel felt the butterflies in her stomach return as Quinn laughed. "What? I'm just saying… you've seen that particular side of me and I don't think either of us wants that again."

"Like I said, no booze."

* * *

"So it was a good weekend?" Santana asked.

"Highly satisfactory," Rachel chirped, handing Santana a cup of coffee. "She'll be down here when your mom is here, and I'm going back up for Halloween. You didn't get into any trouble here without me, did you?"

"The police were only called once, scout's honor."

Rachel snorted.

"I'm going to do laundry," Santana huffed, grabbing their two hampers. "Wait…is this Quinn's Yale sweater?"

"Oh…uh… I mentioned that it was cold on the train…. She said I could take it with me. I must've dropped that on top when I dumped out my overnight bag," Rachel said, taking it back.

"Why are you blushing, Berrylicious?"

"I'm not."

Santana just smiled.

"What?" Rachel asked. "Why are giving me your 'I know something you don't' look?"

"Maybe I do. Give me the quarter jar. Be back in a while."

Rachel watched her go and put the sweater on. She picked up her phone and saw she had a text from Quinn.

_Can't wait to see you and Santana! Have a good week._

This staying in touch thing was really working out.


End file.
